Junction Park Route 65, New Brighton, PA. Photo shown what the flood was like at the park in 1913 which was the first of a few occurrence there. Source: eBay.
Junction Park Route 65, New Brighton, Pennsylvania. This Trolley Park said to have a roller rink according to one of the lists I have however, I have read two very similar historical stories on two websites -- Your Beaver County and The Times. None of those two mentioned roller rink.
Was this place ever had a roller rink? Being a Trolley Park, it has similar format as many other Trolley Parks in the past including Cascade Park Roller Rink that I profiled.
Those places had rinks and likely this one was but the mystery remains. Was it an independent building or was it at the dance hall. Good question.
Nothing more I can say about anything related to the rink but interesting to note about the Park considering this is a ICAP The International Commercial Archeology Preservation profile.
OK, I found out what rink this was. It was first opened in 1943 as New Brighton Roller Drome and you can see the profile there. But this is more about the park itself here on this page.
In June 1900, a Philadelphia-based conglomerate by two businessmen W.R. Wright and W. Ferdinand Snyder purchased a controlling interest in the Beaver Valley Traction Company. The two with the help with the financial backing from the American Gas Company. They had a desire to create an electric streetcar line that would eventually connect Pittsburgh, Beaver Falls, and nearby next state, Wheeling, West Virginia.
Six months later, the group purchased the Peoples Electric Street Railway, the Morado & College Street Railway, and the Beaver & Vanport Street Railway. Combined with their original line, these purchases gave the now-larger Beaver Valley Traction Company complete market control over all interurban streetcar traffic inside Beaver County without any competition.
Combining the operations required the traction company to choose a new centralized location for its powerhouse, car barns and offices. Officials chose the flat, elevated area on the east side of the Sharon Bridge due to its convenient placement in the middle of its extended line. In December 1900, the company purchased this land, known as "the Junction,” from the Marquis family who owned the property, for 25,000 USD. I have no idea what acres this was at the time. But the Morado Park, it was 32 Acres though.
At the northern point of its line, the traction company injected close to 250,000 USD into converting a wooded valley known as Morado Park. This park served as a serene picnic ground and was advertised as “32 acres of rolling country” along the majestic Beaver River.
At the Junction, the company took a different approach. Officials reached out to the man who had three years earlier engineered the popular Cascade Park in New Castle, engineer Frank M. Blaisdell. Cascade Park was a traditional Trolley Park, operated by the New Castle Traction Company. This was the blueprint for what Beaver Valley Traction envisioned for its own amusement park, a showcase of sorts that would become Beaver County’s next big thing. The Junction would evidently formatted from Cascade Park as fundamentals taken from.
In January 1901, Frank M. Blaisdell arrived in Rochester, Pennsylvania and was working out of a room at the Speyerer Hotel. He began to design the layout for Junction Park. Each day, Frank would take a streetcar to the Junction and sit on the hillside overlooking the site. After a month, he was ready to turn his plans over to traction company officials.
On 29th of January 1901, The Daily Times printed the announcement for the new park. The article stated that it would have a beautiful landscaping, complete with brick walkways and shade trees. A theater, dancing pavilion, banquet hall, restaurant and racetrack would all be constructed in short order which means hiring a huge number of workers, basic stick built and quick. The expansion would occurred in later years, including a world-class wooden roller coaster, a carousel and a toboggan slide (too generic for the toboggan slide (the spiral slide or Shoot the Chute. Beaver Valley Traction announced that a fare to Junction Park would cost a nickel from anywhere on the line. The quick built would occurred in about 4 months to 5 months. They may have had workers to work overnight.
Then on first of June 1901, Junction Park held its grand opening event. The main attraction was a concert by the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra, but more than 10,000 people came simply to see the park in hard rainstorm on opening day. The traction company operated double capacity on its streetcars to handle the additional traffic. Having said, Junction Park had exceeded expectations.
In the same year the Junction Park opened, the Beaver County Agricultural Association sold the old fairgrounds and moved their event to the Junction. Each September, thousands of people from the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia) would converge at Junction Park for the big Beaver County Fair, the largest and most well-respected farming exposition in western Pennsylvania.
Later, two baseball diamonds were built on the infield of the racetrack in 1908, and the grandstands at the park were expanded to seat more than 10,000 people.
Amateur and semi-pro teams from Beaver Falls and Rochester played major league clubs in exhibition games there each summer. Recognized and Established Players such as Honus Wagner, Max Carey and the great Negro Leagues Player Josh Gibson played on the Junction Park Diamonds.
Boxing matches were held in the open air at the park during the summer, with several world championships.
Despite the diverse array of sporting events at Junction Park, horse racing was always the major draw.
Junction Park also hosted many significant social events. Penn State University’s local alumni organization called the park home for its annual reunion beginning in 1909. That might not sound very important, but it was attended by close to 1,000 people each year. The Piersol Academy, which was located in Bridgewater from 1876 to 1902, also held its annual reunions at the Junction.
Independence Day 1909 holiday was memorable for locals when the when Ringling Brothers Circus brought its show to town. The circus staged a parade through New Brighton, then erected numerous tents at the park to house its various events. The Pittsburgh Press estimated that more than 55,000 people attended the circus over its two-day showing.
As the automobile era dawned, Junction Park Race Track moved into a different kind of racing. The park’s open-invitation Ford races were a big draw during the early 1920s. On several occasions, the park hosted full 100-mile stock car races that brought fans from hundreds of miles around.
Despite such popularity, Junction Park had one true enemy - Mother Nature as it would try to bankrupt the park.
Like the rest of Beaver County, the park was prone to the numerous floods that seemed to visit almost annually in the spring. The worst were in 1903, 1907, and 1913, the park sustained massive damage from floods. The 1907 flood destroyed the original roller coaster and caused more than $700,000 in destruction. The 1936 flood was the one that finally did Junction Park in.
The other thing was the gaining of affordable automobiles. That was it for the Beaver Valley Traction Company. Junction Park was so dependent on streetcar traffic thus the end of the park when the streetcar service in 1937 was another nail in the coffin.
One remnant of the park that continued to draw visitors was the old Dance Pavilion. Around 1918, the pavilion had been enclosed to allow for year-round events. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, dances were held each weekend for young adults. It was said that, at one time, nearly half the couples in Beaver County had experienced their first dance together at Junction Park.
Another popular attraction was the Junction Park Swimming Pool when it was opened in 1928. It continued to prosper even as the park declined, especially after the river beaches at Monaca and Fallston were shuttered in the late 1930s.
In 1938, the Dance Pavilion was sold to William DeMoss, a private businessman from Beaver Falls. He renamed the venue Greystone Gardens and continued to hold weekly dances. They had big-band groups to the Junction. Then, at the height of its popularity in 1945, Greystone Gardens burned down. DeMoss erected another building further south on Junction Stretch, but it never achieved as it was never the same. In later years, the new building became Morry’s Speakeasy.
Two other famous local businesses opened at the old Junction Park grounds during the 1940s. In 1943, Steven Gray Sr. opened the New Brighton Roller Drome. Then, in 1947, Henry Grosshans opened Hank's Frozen Custard, which thousands of Beaver County residents still enjoy today. It was one of the last remaining still around.
The Route 88 highway project of 1963-64 pretty much leveled any remaining pieces of old Junction Park.
Today, pretty much the highway, a landfill, and the YMCA as well as Hank's Frozen Custard. Pretty much that was it.
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
It was a Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Arena - like Building with Segmental Arch roof. It had the words ROLLER-DROME on the front wall. What color was it? Got more pictures? The color appeared to be other than white but light colored.
The rest of the park, please see in STATS.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch.
Acres: N/A.
Organ: Possible.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: From 1901 to 1964 includes carousel, wooden roller coaster.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: One set of 18 holes.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: Possible.
Fascination: Possible.
Restaurant: One.
Cocktail lounge: Morry’s Speakeasy (Closed in 1980s), then Chameleon Junction. Seats 400.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: Had a swimming pool. Opened in 1929 to 1964..
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Race Track: Multi-purpose (horse, stock car racing/dirt car racing).
Trolley Station.
Baseball Diamonds: 2 Major/Minor League sized. Set up inside race track.
Dance Hall: Dance Pavilion, Greystone Gardens, then became bar called Morry's Speakeasy.
Operated: (Overall)-- N/A.
Junction Park: 01 June 1901 to end of season 1964.
New Brighton Roller-Drome: 1943 to 1970s(?)
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Individual explained about this rink.
eBay.
Picclick.
Your Beaver County - The History of Junction Stretch.
The Times - The Rise and Falls of Trolley Parks.
Landmark Historic Marker - Junction Stretch.
Date of issue: 20 September 2022.
For office use only: 1.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
Was this place ever had a roller rink? Being a Trolley Park, it has similar format as many other Trolley Parks in the past including Cascade Park Roller Rink that I profiled.
Those places had rinks and likely this one was but the mystery remains. Was it an independent building or was it at the dance hall. Good question.
Nothing more I can say about anything related to the rink but interesting to note about the Park considering this is a ICAP The International Commercial Archeology Preservation profile.
OK, I found out what rink this was. It was first opened in 1943 as New Brighton Roller Drome and you can see the profile there. But this is more about the park itself here on this page.
In June 1900, a Philadelphia-based conglomerate by two businessmen W.R. Wright and W. Ferdinand Snyder purchased a controlling interest in the Beaver Valley Traction Company. The two with the help with the financial backing from the American Gas Company. They had a desire to create an electric streetcar line that would eventually connect Pittsburgh, Beaver Falls, and nearby next state, Wheeling, West Virginia.
Six months later, the group purchased the Peoples Electric Street Railway, the Morado & College Street Railway, and the Beaver & Vanport Street Railway. Combined with their original line, these purchases gave the now-larger Beaver Valley Traction Company complete market control over all interurban streetcar traffic inside Beaver County without any competition.
Combining the operations required the traction company to choose a new centralized location for its powerhouse, car barns and offices. Officials chose the flat, elevated area on the east side of the Sharon Bridge due to its convenient placement in the middle of its extended line. In December 1900, the company purchased this land, known as "the Junction,” from the Marquis family who owned the property, for 25,000 USD. I have no idea what acres this was at the time. But the Morado Park, it was 32 Acres though.
At the northern point of its line, the traction company injected close to 250,000 USD into converting a wooded valley known as Morado Park. This park served as a serene picnic ground and was advertised as “32 acres of rolling country” along the majestic Beaver River.
At the Junction, the company took a different approach. Officials reached out to the man who had three years earlier engineered the popular Cascade Park in New Castle, engineer Frank M. Blaisdell. Cascade Park was a traditional Trolley Park, operated by the New Castle Traction Company. This was the blueprint for what Beaver Valley Traction envisioned for its own amusement park, a showcase of sorts that would become Beaver County’s next big thing. The Junction would evidently formatted from Cascade Park as fundamentals taken from.
In January 1901, Frank M. Blaisdell arrived in Rochester, Pennsylvania and was working out of a room at the Speyerer Hotel. He began to design the layout for Junction Park. Each day, Frank would take a streetcar to the Junction and sit on the hillside overlooking the site. After a month, he was ready to turn his plans over to traction company officials.
On 29th of January 1901, The Daily Times printed the announcement for the new park. The article stated that it would have a beautiful landscaping, complete with brick walkways and shade trees. A theater, dancing pavilion, banquet hall, restaurant and racetrack would all be constructed in short order which means hiring a huge number of workers, basic stick built and quick. The expansion would occurred in later years, including a world-class wooden roller coaster, a carousel and a toboggan slide (too generic for the toboggan slide (the spiral slide or Shoot the Chute. Beaver Valley Traction announced that a fare to Junction Park would cost a nickel from anywhere on the line. The quick built would occurred in about 4 months to 5 months. They may have had workers to work overnight.
Then on first of June 1901, Junction Park held its grand opening event. The main attraction was a concert by the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra, but more than 10,000 people came simply to see the park in hard rainstorm on opening day. The traction company operated double capacity on its streetcars to handle the additional traffic. Having said, Junction Park had exceeded expectations.
In the same year the Junction Park opened, the Beaver County Agricultural Association sold the old fairgrounds and moved their event to the Junction. Each September, thousands of people from the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia) would converge at Junction Park for the big Beaver County Fair, the largest and most well-respected farming exposition in western Pennsylvania.
Later, two baseball diamonds were built on the infield of the racetrack in 1908, and the grandstands at the park were expanded to seat more than 10,000 people.
Amateur and semi-pro teams from Beaver Falls and Rochester played major league clubs in exhibition games there each summer. Recognized and Established Players such as Honus Wagner, Max Carey and the great Negro Leagues Player Josh Gibson played on the Junction Park Diamonds.
Boxing matches were held in the open air at the park during the summer, with several world championships.
Despite the diverse array of sporting events at Junction Park, horse racing was always the major draw.
Junction Park also hosted many significant social events. Penn State University’s local alumni organization called the park home for its annual reunion beginning in 1909. That might not sound very important, but it was attended by close to 1,000 people each year. The Piersol Academy, which was located in Bridgewater from 1876 to 1902, also held its annual reunions at the Junction.
Independence Day 1909 holiday was memorable for locals when the when Ringling Brothers Circus brought its show to town. The circus staged a parade through New Brighton, then erected numerous tents at the park to house its various events. The Pittsburgh Press estimated that more than 55,000 people attended the circus over its two-day showing.
As the automobile era dawned, Junction Park Race Track moved into a different kind of racing. The park’s open-invitation Ford races were a big draw during the early 1920s. On several occasions, the park hosted full 100-mile stock car races that brought fans from hundreds of miles around.
Despite such popularity, Junction Park had one true enemy - Mother Nature as it would try to bankrupt the park.
Like the rest of Beaver County, the park was prone to the numerous floods that seemed to visit almost annually in the spring. The worst were in 1903, 1907, and 1913, the park sustained massive damage from floods. The 1907 flood destroyed the original roller coaster and caused more than $700,000 in destruction. The 1936 flood was the one that finally did Junction Park in.
The other thing was the gaining of affordable automobiles. That was it for the Beaver Valley Traction Company. Junction Park was so dependent on streetcar traffic thus the end of the park when the streetcar service in 1937 was another nail in the coffin.
One remnant of the park that continued to draw visitors was the old Dance Pavilion. Around 1918, the pavilion had been enclosed to allow for year-round events. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, dances were held each weekend for young adults. It was said that, at one time, nearly half the couples in Beaver County had experienced their first dance together at Junction Park.
Another popular attraction was the Junction Park Swimming Pool when it was opened in 1928. It continued to prosper even as the park declined, especially after the river beaches at Monaca and Fallston were shuttered in the late 1930s.
In 1938, the Dance Pavilion was sold to William DeMoss, a private businessman from Beaver Falls. He renamed the venue Greystone Gardens and continued to hold weekly dances. They had big-band groups to the Junction. Then, at the height of its popularity in 1945, Greystone Gardens burned down. DeMoss erected another building further south on Junction Stretch, but it never achieved as it was never the same. In later years, the new building became Morry’s Speakeasy.
Two other famous local businesses opened at the old Junction Park grounds during the 1940s. In 1943, Steven Gray Sr. opened the New Brighton Roller Drome. Then, in 1947, Henry Grosshans opened Hank's Frozen Custard, which thousands of Beaver County residents still enjoy today. It was one of the last remaining still around.
The Route 88 highway project of 1963-64 pretty much leveled any remaining pieces of old Junction Park.
Today, pretty much the highway, a landfill, and the YMCA as well as Hank's Frozen Custard. Pretty much that was it.
The Interior.
N/A.
The Exterior.
It was a Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Arena - like Building with Segmental Arch roof. It had the words ROLLER-DROME on the front wall. What color was it? Got more pictures? The color appeared to be other than white but light colored.
The rest of the park, please see in STATS.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch.
Acres: N/A.
Organ: Possible.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: From 1901 to 1964 includes carousel, wooden roller coaster.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: One set of 18 holes.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: Possible.
Fascination: Possible.
Restaurant: One.
Cocktail lounge: Morry’s Speakeasy (Closed in 1980s), then Chameleon Junction. Seats 400.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: Had a swimming pool. Opened in 1929 to 1964..
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Race Track: Multi-purpose (horse, stock car racing/dirt car racing).
Trolley Station.
Baseball Diamonds: 2 Major/Minor League sized. Set up inside race track.
Dance Hall: Dance Pavilion, Greystone Gardens, then became bar called Morry's Speakeasy.
Operated: (Overall)-- N/A.
Junction Park: 01 June 1901 to end of season 1964.
New Brighton Roller-Drome: 1943 to 1970s(?)
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Individual explained about this rink.
eBay.
Picclick.
Your Beaver County - The History of Junction Stretch.
The Times - The Rise and Falls of Trolley Parks.
Landmark Historic Marker - Junction Stretch.
Date of issue: 20 September 2022.
For office use only: 1.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.